Fire-escape



. Patented Jan I7, I899. C. B. HARRIS. FIRE ESCAPE No. 6l7,740.

(Application filed Feb. 26, 189B.)

2 Silents-Sheet I;

(No Modal.)

WITNESSES A Home Patented Jan. l7, I899.

c. n. HARRIS. FIBE ESCAPE.

(.lpplicltion filed Feb. 26, 189B.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

[-N-VENTOR /Z.

WITNESSES Attorney we Ncmms PETERS co. wom-uwo" WASHINGTON a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. HARRIS, OF \VILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARRIS SAFETY COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,740, dated January 17, 1899. Application filed February 26, 1898. Serial No. 671,839. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. HARRIS, of lVilliamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in fire-escapes, and more particularly to such as employ flexible ladders adapted to be wound on reels, the object of the invention being to provide simple and efficient means whereby the ladder can be quickly released, so as to be permitted to promptly descend from the top of a building in case of fire.

A further object is to provide releasing devices for a flexible fire-escape which shall be simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, which shall be sure and positive in operation, and which shall be effectual in all respects in the performance of its functions.

\Vith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view illustrating my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views, and Fig. 4 is a view of a modification.

A represents a portion of a building, and 13 the casing of my improved fire-escape, said easin g being made ornamental in appearance and secured to the front of the building at or near the top thereof, so as to form a part of the cornice of the building or take the place of metal or other ornamentations usually employed as a finish to the architectural appearance of a building. The casing B comprises two end frames a a and an outer wall or covering of sheet metal b, secured at its respective ends to said end frames at a. A reel or shaft 0 is mounted in the ends a of the casing for the reception of a flexible ladder D, which is adapted to be wound thereon and has one end secured thereto. The casing 13 is provided with an elongated opening 1 below and outwardly removed from the reel C for the passage of the ladder D, and at one edge of this opening a fixed bar 2 is disposed and se cured at its ends to the end frames of the easing, over which the ladder is adapted to pass.

hen the ladder is wound within the easing B, the lower rung 3 will serve to close the elongated opening in the casing, and thus exelude all dust.

The shaft or reel 0 is provided near its re spective ends with heads or disks 5 6, and one of the journals of said shaft or drum is extended beyond its bearing and has secured thereto a sprocket wheel 7, over which a sprocket-chain 7 may be made to pass for the purpose of winding the ladder.

The chain 7 maybe conveniently placed over the sprocket-wheel, when it is necessary to wind the ladder, by means of a pole from an upper window of the building. A pawl 8 is pivotally attached to the head or disk 5 and adapted to engage a ratchet-wheel 9, mounted loosely on the shaft 0. A pinion 10 is secured to the ratchet-wheel 0, and at a point in proximity to said wheels 9 and 10 a lever 11 is pivotally supported between its ends within the casing B and adapted to be limited in its movements by means of stops 9 h. A pinion 12 and a drum 18 are mounted in the lower end of the lever 11 and adapted to rotate together, the lever 11 being so disposed normally that the pinion 12 will be in proximity to but out of mesh with the pinion 10. A pulley 14 is mounted in the upper end of the lever 11, and over this pulley a cord 15 passes. One end of the cord 15 is attached to the weighted end 0 of a pivoted lever d, said weighted end of the lever being made to project upwardly and slightly obliquely from the pivotal support of the lever. The lever d is supported by means of a bracket 6, located within the building, and the arm d thereof is normally disposed in a horizontal position, so as to be engaged by a latch-arm j, which is maintained in engagement therewith by means of a spring f. An armature t is secured to the latch-arm f and adapted to be attracted by a magnet 7 to withdraw the latch-arm from the arm (1 of lever cl, and thus permit the weighted end thereof to fall. The electromagnetis included in a normally open circuit with a battery and with circuit-closers 7Q, located at different parts of the building, or in case of a hotel said circuit-closers may be arranged in the ofiicc. From its connection with the weighted lever the cord 15 passes over the pulley it on the lever 11, as before stated, and then preferably two or more times around the drum 1-3, which revolves with the pinion 12. After passing about the drum 13 the cord is passed over a pulley 16 in the casing and then extended to the opposite end of the casing,where it is attached to a spring 17. It will be ob served that the spring 17 acts to normally retain the lever in such position as to maintain the pinion 12 out of mesh with the pinion 10.

From the construction and arrangement of parts above described it will be seen that when an occupant of one of the rooms of a building or the clerk in the office of ahotel presses one of the push-buttons the weighted lever d will be released, and in falling will cause a pull on the cord 15, the first result of which will be to turn the lever 11 on its fulcrum and cause the pinion 12 to be moved into mesh with the pinion 10, and then the drum 13 will be turned, and with it the pinion 12, and thus motion will be imparted to the pinion 10, and consequently to the shaft or reel 0, (through the medium of the ratchet devices,) and cause the unwinding of the ladder to be started. After the ladder has been thus started to unwind its own weight will be sufficient to cause it to continue to descend until its lower end reaches the ground.

A gong 18 is secured to the casing C and adapted to be operated by means of an arm 18 secured to rotate with the arbor of pinion 10, so that as the ladder descends the alarm will be given, and the steel cables of theladder will serve as transmitters of the vibrations of the gong to the rooms of the building.

Instead of providing a weighted lever for causing the starting of the reel to unwind a spring-drum m may be employed, in which case the eord15 would be wound on said drum, so as to cause the spring 22 therein to be wound sufficiently to cause the drum to rotate two or three times when released, and the drum will be normally retained in such position (with the spring wound) by means of a pivoted latch-arm 0. The latch-arm is norm ally maintained in the path of a pin 1) on the drum by means of a spring q and is adapted to be moved out of the path of said pin to release the spring-drum and wind the cord 15 to start the reel and ladder, as before explained, by means of an electromaguet r, included in circuit with the battery and circuitclosers or push-buttons.

Instead of the trip devices for the weighted lever and the spring-drum above described any other preferred form of electrically-operated trip devices may be employed.

Various slight changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fire-escape, the combination with a reel, gearing connected therewith, and a flexible ladder to wind on said reel, of a motor removed from the reel, a connection between said motor and gearing whereby said motor will be adapted to impart an impulse to the reel to start it, and a trip device for said motor.

2. In a fireescape, the combination with a reel, a flexible ladder to wind thereon and gearing connected with said reel, of a motor connected with said gearing for starting the rotation of the reel to unwind the ladder, an electromagnetic trip device for said motor and circuit-closers included in the circuit of said electromagnetic trip device, substantially as set forth.

In a fire-escape, the combination with a reel and a flexible ladder to wind thereon, of a weighted lever, a connection between said weighted lever and the reel whereby to cause the reel to rotate when the weighted lever falls, an electromagnetic trip device for said weighted lever and circuit-closers in the circuit of said electromagnetic trig device, substantially as set forth.

a. In a lire-escape, the combination with a reel and a flexible ladder to wind thereon, of a pinion connected with said reel, a pivoted lever, a pinion carried by the pivoted lever, a drum mounted to rotate with said last-mentioned pinion, a motor, a trip device for said motor, a spring, a cord connected with said motor and passing over the lever, the drum on the lever and attached to said spring whereby to maintain the pinion on the lever normally out of mesh with the pinion on the reel, means for operating said trip device to release the motor and operate the cord to throw the pinion into mesh and relate them to start the rotation of the reel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. It. HARRIS.

Witnesses S. G. NOTTINGHAM, R. S. FERGUSON. 

